Into The Shadows
by falconqueen
Summary: A twist on the Warriors series where a Princess joins the clans instead of Rusty,Thistleclaw never died and became Thistlestar,Raggedstar is still alive,and more!Please enjoy!


EDIT;Thanks to SkyTheLoner for telling me about the grammar mistakes!I fixed them up!

Princess stared out into the woods, her green eyes filled to the brim with wonder. Rumor spread from Quince that there were deadly wild-cats beyond the trees. She leaned forward in interest, and yelped with panic as she fell off of the fence with a thump,the prickly thorn bushes grasping her fur.

"Are you okay?" a shy voice squeaked behind her,and she swiveled her ears. As she struggled to sit up, she saw the midnight black fur of the small house cat, Tiny.

She grew red with embarrassment and lifted her paw, licking at it to hide her deflated pride.

Tiny broke the silence with a solemn mew, "Ruby and Socks were taken away by housefolk kits," he muttered, "They didn't want me.I think my housefolk are keeping me!"

Princess didn't know what to say, so she licked the kit around the ears. She remembered with a pang of sadness when her brother, Rusty, was taken away. She wondered where he was now.

Tiny looked into the forest as well, and curled his small tail around his paws.

"Mama says that there are cats that eat bones out there," he commented, "She says my father met one once, and befriended him!"

"Tiny!" A familiar voice called out in the distance; Princess recognized it as her good friend and Tiny's mother, Quince.

Tiny perked his ears and dipped his head timidly before rushing under the fence. Princess felt lonely when he left her presence, and continued to stare into the trees. Her curiously rotted at her brain, nagging her to take a peak.

She had always had dreams about slinking through the shadows,hunting for frogs and lizards. However, she always awoke just before she sunk her teeth into a slimy, delicious frog or scaley lizard.

No longer able to bear it, she leaped off of the old fence and raced toward the forest. She paused, feeling nervous; what if she was killed? What if she lead the wildcats here?

A surge of unexpected courage rose in her chest. If she was attacked,she would fight like 12 of those mangy wildcats!

Paws shaking, she padded forward into the forest. She looked around,and instantly knew this was not the familiar, marshy place she saw in her dreams. The trees were tall, and there were many, not few. The grass was few, though, the ground mostly dirt, and leaves scattered the ground. It was almost the opposite of the marsh.

For moment, just a moment, she wanted to turn back and go home in disappointment, but her now blazing curiously and determination drove her forward. She ran through the forest, not stopping until she reached a great tree. She sunk her claws into the base, and scrabbled up after much effort. Paws aching, Princess curled up on a hidden tree branch and closed her eyes. This time, she had a different dream. A dream of lots of wildcats, looking expectedly up at her.

She awoke to a crow pecking at her tail in interest, and slyly unsheathed her claws. Then, she struck it down by the head and got up, sinking her teeth into the unfortunate bird. It was skinny, and different from the slop she was fed at home, but it was good none the less. She soon finished and licked her lips, then starting to groom herself happily.

Her nose wrinkled,and she stopped grooming as the fresh scents of unfamiliar cats hit her. She heard talking from far away and bristled,carefully starting down the tree. The talking came closer and she hurried down, then ran as fast as she could forward.

Eventually she reached the Thunderpath and flattened her ears. She recognized the roaring monsters, but not as many as this, and not speeding by like rabbits!

She waited for a gap to break in the foul smelling creatures, her paws shifting in anxiety as she realized a wildcat or two, or even five could be near. Not wanting to face that problem, she readied her haunches and burst onto the Thunderpath. She heard a monster nearing and leaped forward to the opposite side, shaking like a leaf in a white-rain storm.

As she raised her muzzle, excitement filled her brain. It was the swampy marshes,in her dreams! Her paws tingled with joy as she stepped forward, breathing in the pleasant smell of the marsh through her nose.

Tail whipping in determination to finally sink her teeth into a frog, she crouched into a sloppy hunting stance. Then, she slunk forward, trying hard to avoid sticks and small puddles to alert pray. Her keen eye saw a frog lazily hop in the corner of her eye. She slowly crawled forward, amused at the stupidity of the slimy creature.

She leaped, stretching out her paws and slamming them on the bewildered creature. Her desperation to taste the frog kept her paws tight around, so that even its slippery skin could not help it. She sunk her teeth into it, gulping down a chunk. Soon she finished, sighing happily. Princess opened her jaws to scent for a lizard,and realized, with a pang of fear, that there was a cat very nearby. Eyes bore into her back, and she gulped, bristling to make herself seem three times bigger then she actually was. She wailed with dread and surprise as a cat burst out of a patch of brown-green grass near a tree, and tackled her.

The cat was a white tom, with jet black paws and piercing Amber eyes. He looked down upon her with an angry,yet also slightly calm, gaze.

"State your purpose in our premises." he growled, his eyes boring into hers. They seemed to see all, yet also regret seeing so.

"I'm very sorry.." she paused, scanning the cat, "sir."

His paws softened on her shoulders a bit, and he grunted, letting her up.

"What brings a kittypet all the way from Two-Leg Place to the marsh?" he questioned,licking his paw-pad slowly.

"I-I saw these marshes in my dreams, and I wanted so badly to see them for real," she hesitated, then continued, "At first, I was in the forest, and wanted to turn back, but I kept going. Then I got here!"

He seemed impressed, and then interested. His eyes filled with thought,and then with fear.

"I hear my deputy and medicine cat coming-" He was cut off by an intimidating brown tabby and a scarred grey persian emerging from a bush.

Princess flattened herself to the ground in horror. The brown tabby was twice her size, and his tail was long and twisted. She shifted her gaze to the persian. There were leaves and berries in her mouth,and many scars on her body.

"I found this kittypet on the to bring no harm, but she ate a frog,Raggedstar." the white tom reported to the large brown tom, his shoulders squared and his eyes filled with respect for the larger cat.

"Interesting..and how did a kittypet get here from two leg place, Blackfoot?"

Raggedstar shifted his gaze upon Princess, and instantly she cast hers down.

"I'm surprised she even made it past Thunderclan. If they saw her, Thistlestar would have shred her,I bet.." the grey persian snorted.

"You know,Raggedstar,this kittypet could be..useful.." Blackfoot shyly suggested, keeping his head down in respect for his leader and medicine cat.

"It's better to bring her in,and recruit her as a warrior,then be as weak as we are now.." Yellowfang muttered under her breath, and Raggedstar whipped his broad head around in anger.

"What did you say?" he snarled,towering over the mottled grey cat.

She snapped her jaws shut and turned away,but her gaze was still thoughtful.

Princess felt like her heart would never stop racing. She grew dizzy and lifted her gaze to Brokenstar.

"C-Can I join you?" she mewled. Yellowfang and Blackfoot gasped softly, but held their tongues.

"We could use new warriors.." he unsheathed his claws, "You must prove yourself me now, and show no mercy."

Princess gulped,and shivered at the gruesome thought of being slaughtered by the large cat.

She nodded and unsheathed her claws, then backed up a bit.

"Come on, kittypet. Or are you too soft?" he snarled, circling her. His eyes were threatening.

Princess felt fury race through her claws slid out, and she raced toward a tree,then hid behind it.

"Typical Kittypet." Blackfoot snorted.

She smirked; they were fooled by her trick. When Raggedstar looked away, she leaped up into the tree until she was ,she readied her haunches to tail swished around and a few leaves fell from the opposite side of the tree,making it seem as if she was in that area. As Raggedstar steadied his gaze there,she yowled in defiance,leaping down onto his unready shoulders.

Raggedstar was not this easily fooled,though,and he dodged her ,then raced toward her and raked a claw down her flank.

Pain surged through her body,and she yowled in fury,turning and lashing out a claw to slash his nose when he sped by to claw her other he drew back in surprise,she leaped on him,digging her front claws into his back and sinking her teeth into his ear.

Raggedstar yowled in surprise and anger,whipping his head around to bite her paws. Princess removed her grip on his ear,yowling,then dug her back claws into his flank and clawed at seared through her as Brokenstar bit deep into her front paw,but somehow,with help from her determination to prove she wasn't weak,she held on.

Raggedstar growled, and turned once again to nip at her eyes flashed as his gaze lifted to her collar.

"You may be a good fighter,but your kittypet collar holds you back!" he growled,biting onto her collar and pulling.

Princess yelped as he tugged fiercely at her dug her claws into his flanks deeper,gasping for air like a fish on tugged herself back and bit into the back of his neck,desperate to loosen his grip.A snap rang in the marsh,and Princess felt air fill her lungs again.

Blackfoot and Yellowfang seemed impressed, while Raggedstar his blood soaked paws was her pink was no longer a kittypet.

Raggedstar sat up and licked the blood from his fur.

"Good work,lets take you back to camp and hold your apprentice ceremony."

Princess raised her head proudly,her heart bursting with pride.

"We will roll in fox dung clan may never accept a kittypet." Raggedstar told Princess solemly.

The light brown tabby wrinkled her nose in disgust,but said nothing as they started making their way back to camp.

Blackfoot flanked Princess,guiding her toward the Shadowclan began to tell her the ways of the clan.

"The elders,queens,and kits always eat before any other cat does." he growled.

The tabby tried her hardest to listen,bewildered with all these strict rules.

"Your mentor trains you until you are ready to become a that, will have no mentor to guide you will have is your loyalty and Starclan to determine the paths you take." he continued,his gaze serious.

She nodded,and kept silent for the rest of the journey.

"We're here." Raggedstar announced,and he slipped onto a tiny followed,then Yellowfang,and finally Princess.

She looked around the camp,taken aback by all of the shared tongues with each other by a pile of fresh-kill,and some seemed to be Princess set her paws onto the warm,muddy ground,every cat turned their head to her.

Murmurs broke out around the hollow,gazes of both confusion and disgust piercing into her.

"I found this cat in our territory.I challenged her to a battle,and she was an excellent fighter." Raggedstar spoke out above the cats, "And since Brokentail was killed,we've needed more warriors."

Raggedstar leaped upon the Highrock and cleared his throat,sweeping his gaze across his clanmates.

"Let all cats old enough to catch prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

Princess watched the other cats gather under the rock,and shyly padded forward to do the sat next to Yellowfang,but the medicine cat snickered and moved next to Clawface.

"This cat has proven herself to me,and she will now join Shadowclan with the approval of forward, young one." Raggedstar looked down upon Princess expectedly.

Princess shakily stepped forward,growing hot as every cat stared at her.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan,even at the cost of your life?"

The young tabby raised her head,not knowing what to nudged her and whispered in her ear to say 'I do'

For a moment,she imagined fighting alongside these cats,and wondered if she should really go through with ,she thought of the amazing feeling she felt when she had battled Raggedstar,and nodded.

"I do!" she announced passionately.

Raggedstar smiled briefly and raised his muzzle to the sky."Then from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as mentor will be Blackfoot."

Lilacpaw felt pride surge through her chest,and turned to see a Blackfoot approaching.

Blackfoot padded slowly up to her,and touched noses with his new apprentice.

"I hope Blackfoot will pass down all he knows on to you."

The clearing was silent for a moment,then howls broke out.

"Lilacpaw,Lilacpaw!" the cats cheered,some glaring at her,some smiling.

After the ceremony,Raggedstar went to his den and Lilacpaw sat in the clearing,grooming herself.

A small grey tabby tom bounded toward her,his eyes shining with excitement.

"Hi!Im Wetpaw!" he told her,sniffing at her, "Where did you come from?You smell like fox-dung!"

Lilacpaw shook her pelt, and grew nervous,leading her to deciding to change the subject.

"Who's your mentor?" she asked.

"Boulder!" Wetpaw answered proudly.

"He has a different name then the others." Lilacpaw tilted her head in confusion.

"He was a loner,but then he joined us!Kind of like you!" Wetpaw smiled, "Come on,I'll take you to Ashfur!He is the best story teller!"

Lilacpaw followed the friendly tom to a small den at the edge of camp.

She peeked in and saw a light brown tabby tom with green eyes settled next to a blue-eyed,thin,old tom.

"Looks like we have more visitors,Brownpaw." the thin tom croaked.

"It's the new apprentice!" Brownpaw squeaked in excitement,trotting up to Lilacpaw.

Lilacpaw smiled at the two cats.

"Wetpaw said you were a great story teller." she excitedly said to the thin grey elder, "Is it true?"

Ashfur chuckled and stretched,raising his rump up in the air and settling down patted two empty nests next to him and Lilacpaw pad over and sat.

"I remember when Yellowfang was a was a very strange kit;If Nutkit had a belly-ache,she would complain she had one too.." Ashfur talked dramatically,but even so Lilacpaw found herself getting she fell into a deep slumber,splayed across the dusty old dreamed of when she was a small newborn kit,huddled up next to her orange tabby littermate,Rusty.


End file.
